


Years Later

by Echoes19



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Post-Story, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25483996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echoes19/pseuds/Echoes19
Summary: 5 years after the events on Tartarus, the crew has disbanded and have started their new lives in Halcyon.With Vicar Max serving as his new self and caring for others, Felix leading his newfound group of rebels, Ellie has her own starship and helps people on the brink of the galaxy, Nyoka has a new crew on Monarch that help save people from the creatures that lurk about, SAM fights with his super cleaning, and the captain, after finishing Phineas' work on the colony, became the greatest spacer known to man. But will they all come together again for one more mission?
Kudos: 6





	1. It all begins, again

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, workers of Halcyon! So I'm writing this in celebration of the new announcement that Outer Worlds will be having a DLC called Peril on Gorgon. It will be released on September 9th, 2020, and as far as I know, the old crew probably won't feature in it, but I wanted to see what it would be like if they did. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter 1 - It all begins, again

I woke up to the familiar sound of ADA rebooting her systems. She never meant to wake me up, but she always did without fail. 

I sighed and clambered out of my bed. I still had my quarters decorated with souvenirs of all of my past adventures, but the most important thing to me in the room, was the picture of Phineas and I, with all of Hope's colonists about to be revived. He looked so happy, and so did I. And it always brought a tear to my eye when I remembered that he never got to see all of the colonists get revived. But I did finish his work after he had passed away, and I kept his ashes by my work desk so that he knew I was still working to make Halcyon a better place. 

The Unreliable was still in amazing shape, thanks to ADA. "Captain, I am detecting low endorphin levels. You should listen to my joke. What do you ca-" She began to say, but I raised my hand to stop her. The old Hawthorne wasn't much of a talkative person so staying by himself for years didn't cause him any sadness, therefore he had only ever installed one joke into ADA, and I heard the same joke every time I woke up. 

"Is there anything new?" I asked her, as I sat down and logged into the terminal. There was a new message, which gave me a little bit of hope, so I clicked on it. But it was just a receipt from when ADA accidentally thought I had told her to buy more shampoo when I hadn't even said a word. I sighed and got up. I put on my usual spacer's outfit and brushed through my dark hair. I briefly looked out to the vast space outside but turned away and out of the door. I walked up the stairs, remembering where Felix and Ellie used to talk about the latest serial. 

I walked past all of their empty quarters and into the kitchen. It was still a mess from the last few nights when I had just drunk my sorrows away. As I pulled out a fresh bottle of orange juice from the fridge I asked ADA, "How long has it been now, ADA?" There was a delay while she found the information.

"4 and a half years, Captain." She replied. I sighed. It had been 4 and a half years since any of the old crew had got in touch. Parvati was the last one to stop contacting me. And I hadn't seen any of them, apart from occasionally on the news. I always avoided the paparazzi as they usually only twisted my words and instead I stood in the dark and shadows, I did the same as Ellie and helped people all around the galaxy, but I did it alone. And not out of choice. I knew that many people, maybe three-quarters of the galaxy thought I had died in an accident. I even saw flowers commemorating me, but I never corrected them. 

After I had eaten breakfast, I walked down into the engine room, to check to see that it was doing ok. When I noticed the same familiar patch that Parvati had placed when I had first met her. I smiled, before leaving and going into the control room. ADA's pixelated face appeared on the console looking worried."ADA, I know you don't have emotions. You don't need to be worried about me. I'm fine." I told her. "What's on the agenda today?" I asked, looking at Phineas' old orbital lab, where a lot of the colonist's scientists were now working on the next cure for a disease. 

"The usual. You have to check in on the colonists at the orbital lab and make sure everything is going ok. There has been a distress call from- oh, nevermind, Ellie Fenhill and her crew are already there. There are no new messages, Captain." She replied. I swallowed the pain in my throat and looked at the map.

"Oh cool. A break day then. An involuntary break day." There was no place in Halcyon where people didn't think I was dead. So if I ever wanted to go anywhere, I needed to wear a cloak. I had dyed my hair to black from its usual red. And I now wore contacts to hide my bright yellow eyes. But I also hid my eyes, because everyday ADA reminded me of how my yellow eyes were a mutation developed when I was on earth. She did this in order to make me feel better but it only ever made me feel worse. 

There was an alarm blaring, that I hadn't in a while. It pulled me out of my daydream, with a jolt. "There is a call incoming." ADA notified me. I saw it up on the screen, but I didn't have time to get my coat to cover my face, so I had just to depend on my now blue eyes and black hair. 

The call connected, and I saw a woman, she had blue mascara and a style of dress I had never seen before. "Hello, Alex Hawthorne. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." She had a slight tint of amusement to her voice. I could see a background of a place I had never been to, nothing like it was in Halcyon. "I can see that you are wondering where I am. I am on Gorgon. A meteor on the edge of Halcyon. We are under attack and we need your help. But you can't fight alone. Gather a crew and help us. There will be a great reward for you if you do." She was speaking as if there was a gun aimed at her head. I nodded and she ended the transmission.

"Captain, this means that you have to get your crew. And in order to do this, you must take off your disguise and come out fo the shadows." Ada told me, she had a slightly stern tone to her voice, as if she was my mother. I hesitated. "I have already ordered you the shampoo. It will wash out the hair dye. And you must show your mutation. It will help them understand who you are. And maybe even help them, if they were suffering from the sadness of your presumed death. Should I turn nonessential - comms on?" She asked. I let out an exasperated sigh.

"As if they care! They haven't spoken to me in 4 and a half years, ADA. I doubt they even remember me." I shouted, the pain showing itself. 

"I have proof they still remember you. Please look at the screen." She said in a factual tone. I looked over and gasped when I saw a statue of myself, there were flowers all around it, and footage of each and every one of the crew members left flowers every month. 

"Oh my god." I whispered. 

"Now, go and change, and I strongly advise cleaning the Unreliable. If we want SAM back on board we want him to be welcomed with cleanliness." She explained. I laughed and nodded. I saw a slight hint of a smile on her face as well. I ran to the bathroom and washed the dye out of my hair, revealing the familiar red. I carefully took out the contact lenses and blinked profusely until my eyes adjusted. The face that looked back at me, gave me a huge wave of nostalgia. I brushed through my hair and cleaned up the kitchen so that there weren't empty vodka bottles lying around. 

Then I finally sat back down in my chair with a huge smile on my face. "Ready for a reunion?" ADA asked. 

"I'm ready." 


	2. Praying for a good time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A captain needs a crew. Starting with the Vicar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I forgot to add in the last one, that this will only be a short story. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter 2 - Praying for a good time

"Alright, which crew member should we start off with?" I asked, starting to get excited. It was a strange feeling, as I hadn't felt it for so long. 

"I have found where Max resides. He is currently working on a new care facility in Byzantium. He is still unaware of your existence." She replied. I nodded.

The Vicar and I had always had a close friendship, ever since I had first met him in Edgewater. I wondered how he had taken the news of my presumed death. 

"Ok, set course for Byzantium. Thank you, ADA." I told her. I heard the familiar beeping of the satnav and got up from the commander's chair. I walked over to where I kept my vast array of weapons. 

"I highly advise you to take the rifle and the inferno scythe. Your original weapons will help the crew come to terms with your survival." She advised. I nodded and placed the assault rifle and scythe in their holsters on my back. I felt the ship jolt through space, and I held onto the nearby wall. The movement slowed to a stop. "We are now in orbit above Byzantium, captain." She told me, proudly. "I sense fear in you. You should practice the breathing methods we talked about." She said informatively as I pulled open the red door and waited for the hatch to open. 

I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth, as the hatch door clicked open and slowly fell to the ground. The strange scent of posh flowers flew at me. And I stepped out of the Unreliable. I heard the door click shut again and I walked over to the steps, trying to hide my face by looking down. But I knew I had failed when I heard gasps and the sound of cameras clicking around me. I walked as fast as I could using my built-in navigation system in my wrist to know where Max was currently. I started running to avoid the paparazzi. 

I saw the builders working on the building and let out a gasp when I saw him. He hadn't changed at all. But now he wore trousers and a shirt, with rolled-up sleeves, rather than his priest cloak. Tears started to fill my eyes as I heard him talking to someone. "Max." I whispered, apparently too loudly as he looked around for who said his name. His eyes fell on me, and I heard him gasp too. I ran up to him and embraced him. He hugged me back, surprisingly.

"Max. It's so good to see you." I whispered. He held me at arm's length to take a look at me.

"This isn't real. You died. I mourned you. I-" He started to say, but a raised a hand.

"Max, I didn't die, I only stopped going into the public eye when the colony was all revived. You all stopped contacting me, moving on, and I thought I would too, but I guess the familiar loneliness from being on the Hope caught up with me." I explained.

"I'm sorry. I've been so busy with all of this. I should have met up with you. But why now?" He asked.

"There is an urgent mission. And I was advised by a strange woman to get my old crew together." I told him.

"I should have known it would be a mission. And it amuses me that you are still taking advice from strange unknown people." He smiled, he turned to a construction worker next to him. "I'll be gone for what, 5 days. Do you think you can handle it here?" The construction worker nodded and Max turned back to me. "Alright, let's do this. I'll go and get my things and I'll meet you on the Unreliable." He told me, walking off. I wiped away tears and started my walk back to the ship. I ignored the millions of questions that were thrown at me by the paparazzi and walked onto the ship, with a happy stride.

"Was it successful? Is the Vicar accompanying you on your mission?" ADA asked. But before I had time to answer there was a stressed curse from outside the door.

"This wretched thing! I never liked you ADA, always locking me out of my own room, and now even the ship." I heard Max from outside. I laughed and unlocked the door for him. He carried two suitcases. I picked up one of them for him and locked the door behind me. I pulled the red door closed as well. 

"Wow, Max. Are you planning on living here?" I laughed. 

"Maybe." He replied, in a completely serious tone. I accidentally dropped the suitcase and he looked over at me. "Is everything ok?" He asked.

"You just said, that you are planning on living here." I whispered. 

"I am. If that's ok with you." He smiled. I nodded. 

"That's amazing!" I squealed excitedly, picking up his suitcase again and running to where his old room was. I placed it down on his bed and watched as he smiled at the nostalgia. 

"Wow. It's been so long since I've been here. I feel like a completely different person than I was before." He turned to me. "I forgot to tell you, I am not sure if you kept up with the publications while you were supposedly dead, but I renounced the church and am no longer a Vicar." 

"I know, Max. I did keep up with everything that went on." I smiled. "But I'm happy for you. Especially now that you know what you want in life." He smiled. 

"Alright, I'll leave you to unpack. The Unreliable will be leaving Byzantium soon, so if you need anything let me know." I told him, before leaving. 

I smiled to myself as I walked down the steps and into the control room. "It's good to see you happy again, Captain." ADA told me. 

"Thank you, ADA. I couldn't have gotten through those 5 years without you. Now, who is next?" I asked, curiously but with a hint of excitement. 

"I will now set course for the Scylla landing pad, where Ellie Fenhill and her crew are boarding." ADA explained. I felt a jolt from the engine and walked up the stairs. I heard a curse and ran to Max, who was sitting on the floor uncomfortably. 

"You fell didn't you." I laughed. He didn't look pleased.

"I have never and will never get used to this ship." He moaned. I smiled. 

"I'm going to get Ellie if you want to come?" I asked. He hesitated.

"I think I'll just unpack for now." He explained. I nodded.

"That's ok. I'll be back soon." 


	3. Me or Them?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain has now arrived on the landing pad of Scylla. Will Ellie want to join them on their quest?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one swears.

Chapter 3 - Me or Them? 

I stepped out of the ship. And immediately jumped up and down. The main reason I love Scylla was because of the zero gravity, meaning I could float. But I heard ADA in my ear. "Captain, I hope you are aware that Ellie is currently watching you." I gasped at this. I looked around until my eyes found hers. She looked angry but slightly amused. She ran at me and knocked me to the ground.

"You were dead! What the shit?!" She exclaimed. 

"It wasn't me that made people think that I was dead. They thought that themselves, as soon as someone goes into the shadows." I shouted back. After a while of looking at each other fuming, we broke out in smiles and hugged. I looked over at her ship, where around 4 people were waiting. They all looked exasperated at having to wait for Ellie.

"They look fun." I whispered. She smiled and rolled her eyes. 

"Anyway, what are you doing back from the dead?" She asked, with her arms folded.

"Well, I got a transmission from someone about a place called Gorgon." I started to explain but stopped when I noticed her facial expression change when I said Gorgon. "You know Gorgon?" I asked, curiously.

"Yeah, it's an abandoned research facility. Nobody knows what went on. They thought had been destroyed, I guess not. Huh. It's a lot like you if think about it. You were dead and now you're not." She punched me in the arm jokingly but it still hurt. 

"So are you coming or?" I pointed to the Unreliable. I pained expression came on over her face. She looked back at her crew. "I have to be honest, they don't look like the nicest of people." 

"That's because they're not. I mean, don't get me wrong, they are good people, but they are just so emotionally draining. Who else is on board with you?" She asked, looking at the ship longingly.

"Its currently only got Max and ADA on it, but I'm hoping to get everyone back on board." I told her. She nodded. She had made up her mind.

"I'm so sorry, Captain. I-" She was cut off by one of her crewmembers. 

"C'mon Captain Ellie. This piece of shit ship is waiting for you!" They said her name in a mocking tone.

"I'm sorry Captain. But if I don't go with them, they'll steal my ship." She looked at me saddened before turning away. I scowled at her crew members. But I turned back to the ship, with my head hung low. 

Just as I was about to enter, I heard a shout and looked over. Ellie was on top of one of the crewmembers and was now punching the living daylights out of him. I ran over and pulled her off him. "Woah, it's ok Ellie. How about you just leave these jerks? They seem like they'll do worse without you." She nodded and we walked back over to the ship. A suitcase was thrown at us, but it narrowly missed and hit the ship instead. I turned around. 

"Excuse me for a second, Ellie." I said, I ran up to each and every one of them and used my time dilation to knock out each crewmember and tie them to their ship, with a tight knot. I quickly walked back over to Ellie who was smiling in amusement. I helped her suitcase onto the ship and she smiled at the Unreliable Logo. 

"Damn, it's good to be back." She whispered. I brought her suitcase into her room and she paused at the entrance to Max's now completely finished room. He was sitting on the bed reading a book. "Hey, Max. It's good to see you again. Still a nerd, I see." She laughed. He smiled. 

"Hello, Dr. Fenhill. " He replied, in an amused tone. She walked into her room. 

"Alright, I forgot to tell you both. We have all the food and alcohol you need in the kitchen. As usual." I notified them. 

"It's good to see you haven't changed at all, Captain." Ellie laughed. Max smiled and continued with his reading. 

I walked over and sat at the table. Roundabout this time of the day, would be when I started drinking, but I put the vodka bottle down and instead reached for some water. I walked over to the control room and was surprised to see Max at the weapons terminal. 

"Max?" I said, walking over.

"I hope you don't mind. I haven't used weapons in a while. And I was wondering if I am going to have to go back to my old ways. I usually only use my skills to defend others and myself now." He explained, uncomfortably looking at the vast array of weapons I had. 

"It's ok Max. I'll only make you use a weapon if you want to. I mainly need your hacking abilities and your mind." I told him. He smiled appreciatively. Ellie came up behind me and gasped in astonishment.

"I never realized how much I missed you until now, Captain." She whispered, running her hands over the weapons. 

"Uh, thanks?" I laughed. I walked over to the control room. "Who next, ADA?" I asked. 

"We are now going to go into the orbit of the GroundBreaker. Parvati is in the engine room with Junlei. And Felix is in the bar with his crew. I recommend going for Felix first, he appears to be causing quite a scene. As he is drunk again. Much like our Nyoka, who is also under the influence of alcohol." ADA began, but I stopped her.

"Thank you, ADA." I replied amused, as the ship moved, I heard the familiar cursing of Max and hearty laugh of Ellie. 


	4. Groundbreaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The small crew starts to grow as they go further around the Galaxy.

Chapter 4- Groundbreaking

We stopped moving and looked out the window. I loved the Groundbreaker, but I hadn't been for years. But there was an unfamiliar jolt of the ship. "We are not allowed to move. This ship is under inspection." She said monotonously. 

"Well, shit." I whispered. I looked over at Ellie and Max. "Do either of you want to come and see what's going on?" I asked. 

"Yes, I'll come." Max replied.

"Count me in." Ellie replied. I smiled and nodded, I opened the door and waited for it to open fully before exiting, closely followed by Max and Ellie. I looked to see a small man leaning against the ship. 

"It's really you. You're alive." He said, before running off. 

"Great welcome then." I smiled. I walked down the runway and up to the desk, where the guard looked at me confused. "Hello there. Please can you tell me why my ship has been banned for the second time?" I asked, slightly frustrated. 

"Um, you'll- uh-"He stuttered, but was cut off. 

"I did it. I thought someone had stolen the ship from a dead body." Parvati's voice lit up the whole ship. I beamed, and before I knew it she had embraced me in a tight hug. I felt something around her finger and gasped. 

"Oh my god, it happened, didn't it?" I held her hand in mine and looked at the ring around her finger. "You're engaged!" I squealed excitedly. She laughed. I let go of her hand and hugged her again. She turned to Ellie and Max, unsurprisingly she gave them both a hug as well. 

"Ok, so anyway, will you unban my ship for me?" I asked, she laughed and pressed a few buttons on the guard's console and I heard ADA's voice come from the ship. "Wow, she knows we are out of the ship, but she still speaks." I laugh. 

"Ooo are we getting the crew back together? If you are, Felix is in the bar, completely drunk out of his mind. I think it's best we go and get him right now"" Parvati explained. I nodded and we entered the Groundbreakers bar. I gasped when I saw that Felix was crying at the bar, but then I remembered that after exactly 7 drinks of both vodka and wine, he becomes a sad drunk. I walked over and noticed he was speaking. 

"Oh my god. They left me. My crew." He was saying. I tapped on his shoulder and as soon as he looked at me he passed out, causing us to burst out laughing. But I stopped when I remembered what he had been saying. 

"He had a group of rebels he was leading. But they overthrew him, like, well, rebels." Max sighed. 

"We better get him back onto the ship then." I replied, Ellie and Max, helped me carry him, while Parvati went to get his stuff and hers. We clambered onto the ship, and once Parvati was on board, I closed the door. But she was closely followed by Junlei. "Junlei, it's so good to see you again!" I smiled. 

"Yes, it is. I'm sorry to intrude on your reunion. But I just want to get away from the Groundbreaker for a while." She sighed. 

"No, its fine! Don't worry about it!" I reassured her. I helped carry Felix to his room and unpacked his things for him. I poured water on Felix's face to wake him up. And he did.

"What the? Captain? How much vodka did I have?" He gasped. 

"Too much. But I am really here." I told him, helping him to his feet. Parvati and Junlei were also in the room so that I could brief them on why I was here.

"I got a transmission from Gorgon. They need our help. And they also said that we would be strongest together. " I explained. 

"Oh, that sounds fun!" Parvati smiled. 

"Oh, man. It does. But Captain. You know, how well, my crew left me, I have nowhere to go. Can I stay here?" Felix asked. 

"What? Of course! You don't have to ask." I smiled. 

"Um, Captain. Junlei and I were also thinking the same thing. We can change my room so that it fits both of us, but we feel we have had too much of the Groundbreaker. All of the grease is getting to our brains and we just want to, you know, retire in a way. We can help make this ship even better!" Parvati explained. 

"Oh wow. Yes of course you guys can stay. Ellie and Max are staying too. Wow, it'll be like the old days again." I laughed. I walked out of the room and down to the control room again. 

"ADA set course for Monarch. It's time to go and get Nyoka." 


	5. Monarch Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew go to get the penultimate crewmember. But will her other obligations draw her away?

Chapter 5 - Monarch Rises

The ship jolted forwards as we landed on Monarch. "Did they fix the smell? Or does it still smell putrid?" I asked. 

"The smell is still the same, Captain," ADA replied. 

"Fantastic." I sighed. I was greeted by everyone except Junlei. 

"She wants to help build our room," Parvati explained. I nodded.

"Alright then, let's go and get Nyoka." I smiled, stepping out of the Unreliable onto the dusty landing pad. I wasn't greeted by anyone. I laughed as I heard the grunts and moans of dismay at the rancid smell. 

I walked down the steps and straight into the nearest bar, I chuckled when I saw Nyoka, just as I had found her on the first day we had met, sitting at the bar, but this time, she wasn't drunk. She was sipping at some water. "Hey, Nyoka." I had completely forgotten at the fact that she probably thought I was dead and was taken aback when she raised her gun at me. 

"You're not real." Her eyes drifted to everyone else in the crew, which caused her to lower her gun. "What the-" She began. But I laughed heartily.

"Nyoka, is everything ok? You are drinking water. Or is it a new brand of vodka?" I asked. She smiled sadly.

"I stopped drinking when my new crew died. Around the same time you died, actually." She sighed. "I don't want to ask questions, as long as you have some good alcohol on the ship then I'll come with you." She sounded exhausted, so we walked straight back to the ship without another word. 

"ADA, go to the next coordinates, while I sort things out." I told the ship's computer. I walked up the stairs and sat down beside Nyoka on her bed. 

"What happened?" I asked.

"We were helping a young group that had decided to travel outside of the walls of their homes for the first time. They had gotten lost and we were on their way home when we were stopped by a large group of mantiswarms and mantiqueens. It was crazy. I killed all of the creepy crawlies, but not before my crew was eaten." She whispered, looking at the wall, remembering. But she smiled when she looked over at me. "But maybe, it was a sign, you know? You came back into my life just when I needed you? How about I stay with you? You know, to live." She smiled. 

"That would be amazing." I reassured her. We told each other stories about what we had done for the past 5 years until we finally arrived. I got up off the bed and walked down the stairs, I passed Ellie and Felix who were now talking about the finale to their favorite aether wave program. 

I looked out of the window curiously. "ADA, where are we?" I asked.

"We are in orbit above the nearest set of asteroids. This was where SAM was last reported to have been seen." She told me. I nodded and put on my helmet so that I could go into space. I floated out of the door alongside the rest of the crew. 

"I'm not sure where SAM will be. He hasn't been seen for a long time. I hope he's ok." I whispered, looking around. "Let's split up. Each of us will go to an asteroid and look for SAM. Meet up inside the Unreliable." I ordered.

"It's good to have you back, Captain." Nyoka smiled. They all nodded in agreement and we went out separate ways. I searched everywhere for any sign of SAM, but there was none so I made my way back to the ship. I leaned against the indoor wall, with my helmet off. 

"ADA. Are you worried about SAM?" I asked, looking over at her monitor carefully.

"I have to be honest, as it is in my programs, I am detecting something that you humans would call fear, for my automated friend." She replied. 

Just as she said this, Ellie, Felix and Max entered, but no sign of SAM. Just Parvati and Nyoka now. Parvati came back emptied handed, which made me start to lose hope, but I gasped when Nyoka entered with a huge beaming smile. She was followed by SAM, who now looked completely upgraded. SAM had new arms and was well polished, he had fully automated legs that seemed to work smoother than I had ever seen. 

"It is a pleasure to be able to clean for you again." He said in his amazing monotonous voice. I swear I heard a squeal of happiness come from ADA but it just sounded like the notification sound, so I brushed it off. We all stood there. 

Finally together again. 


	6. Happy Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The newly reunited crew have one last celebration before they started their new mission.

Chapter 6 - Happy Thoughts

It was the evening and everyone had just finished the massive dinner. We were all laughing with our stomachs full and with a cup of wine in our hands. Even Max.

It felt so good to finally be with them all again. I thought it would never be like this. 

It had felt like hours that Max and Felix had spent to catch up on 5 years worth of toss ball, and Parvati spoke to Ellie for ages about their favourite aether waves. Before the meal, we had spent a minute in silence remembering our long lost friend, Phineas, which had brought a tear or two to my eyes. 

I felt so full of happiness, that my cheeks started to ache from all of the happiness. 

I sat down next to Max, who was drinking wine, while watching Nyoka, Felix and Ellie debate on who had the best adventures in their time apart. "Are you glad to be back?" I asked him. 

"More than anything, though I have to ask, Captain. Why did you never visit us? You were always expecting us to contact you but never the other way around?" He enquired. 

"Well, for the first couple of years, I was helping Phineas with colonists. Then when he passed, I had to do it by myself, which left me alone and not much time to do anything other than revive. I guess I was busy. I'm not sure. But hey, I'd rather not think about the past when there is all of this in the present." I gestured towards Felix and Nyoka laughing as Ellie tried to tell them her tossball predictions for the next season. 

"I do apologise for not getting into contact with you. But I am mostly sorry that we didn't meet up when Phineas died. He was a good friend. May he rest in peace." He raised a glass in the air, and I copied him. "To Phineas."

"To Phineas." I replied, with a smile. "Ok, enough with the sadness. Let's dance! " I pulled Max to his feet, but that is the last thing that I remember. I woke up upside down, hanging from the ceiling in the engine room. I let out a shriek when my movement caused me to hit the ground with a thud. I was hit with a headache, not from the fall, but from the drinking instead. I got to my feet and dusted myself off. 

"Felix and Nyoka are still asleep. Everyone else is sharing hangover pills in the kitchen." ADA notified me. I trudged up the stairs and into the kitchen. Everyone looked dead. I grabbed a bottle of water and swallowed a couple of pills before seating myself down.

"And that, my friends, is why I do not drink." Ellie sighed, getting to her feet and walking into her quarters. 

"Ok, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have to go to Gorgon today. So if we can be ready in the next couple of hours, that would be a great help." I sighed. There were a couple of groans but mainly just tired smiles. SAM came in and before I could stand up, thrust some shampoo and soap into my hands.

"I urge that you clean yourself up. I am not obligated to clean people unless instructed otherwise." He told me. I laughed and then went to take a shower.

Once everyone was done, we all stood in the entrance area as we travelled through space to Gorgon. The door opened ominously and we stepped out onto the cold rock surface. 

"Time to kill some marauders." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok! So now this one has ended, but there will be another DLC after Peril on Gorgon. So I might post again when that gets announced. Thank you! :)


End file.
